The Butcher of Hogsmeade

Antonin Dolokhov never imagined he would die tonight, on the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley; a triangular bayonet pierced his chest, leaving a nearly square wound that ran from front to back. The rupture of his heart caused a complete halt in blood flow, killing this notoriously ruthless Death Eater in just a few seconds.

What Antonin Dolokhov never expected was that his death would be watched by many higher-dimensional beings, and the scene was projected onto a gambling table in a distant void.

His wide eyes and the expression on his face, a mixture of confusion and resentment, captured the Death Eater's final feelings about his death.

Of course, he was never the focus of attention.

"Tsk tsk tsk... He killed a well-known character in the story with just one move." Zeus's voice was like thunder, ignoring the fact that there was no medium for sound to travel in the void. "I remember, it was supposed to be the Prewitt brothers who died... Oh right, and that werewolf more than ten years later. The gamble had just begun when the story was changed."

At the long table, everyone sat in their seats, and even their postures didn't change much.

Dressed as a cowboy, Edroy propped his feet up on the table to ensure a comfortable position, dismissing Zeus's words with disdain: "He's just a minor character, and besides, the terms for judging the outcome of the bet don't include whether the storyline has been altered. If you want to add that clause temporarily, I won't object; but according to the principle of proportionality, if you're asking him to protect the storyline, you must first inform him. Do you want to give him back his memories of the Harry Potter storyline?"

"No, of course I don't want to," Zeus refused decisively.

"I know you don't want to, after all, the first request you made before the bet even started was to strip him of all his memories of the Harry Potter stories."

"You misunderstood me. When I said the storyline was changed, I didn't mean to hold him responsible or modify the terms of the bet, but to remind you of something." Zeus's tone carried a hint of triumphant satisfaction. "You already know quite a few rules and underlying logics about these worlds that have been shaped by human stories, but it's not complete yet."

Edroy's previously lazy gaze suddenly sharpened, and Zeus's tone made him sense a certain "danger," an aura emanating from the revelation of a conspiracy.

At the other end of the long table, Zeus's voice continued: "During your travels in this dimension, you have visited several story worlds and altered the course of some of the stories; do you therefore believe that arbitrarily changing the course of a story will not bring any serious consequences?"

“At least I haven’t encountered it,” Edroy said. “So I’d like to hear what His Majesty the God-King has to say.”

"As far as I know, you have revised four stories in total, and the extent of the revisions varies: some only changed minor details while retaining the main plot, while others modified the main plot but still maintained the original plot theme; in short, they all have in common that they have maintained the original story framework as much as possible, so the worlds that were formed by the stories have not been greatly affected and can still exist and operate as independent worlds."

Edroy sneered, "You know quite a lot, huh?"

"Shouldn't I at least get to know my opponent in this bet?" Zeus responded with a sneer in return.

"Enough with the nonsense. Just tell me directly, what's the difference between the stories I experienced before and the Harry Potter stories? Why does your expression seem to suggest I'll lose this bet because of this?"

"It's just a guess, we can't confirm it yet."

"That's still a redundant statement."

"Alright, let me put it more clearly." Zeus looked at the center of the gambling table, where the projection had changed from Antonin Dolokhov to Shen Hou, who was currently being taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Arts due to unconsciousness. "The core of the Harry Potter story is Voldemort's choice and Harry's destiny. If the core and theme of this story are changed, then the Harry Potter story is equivalent to ceasing to exist."

Edroy's gaze grew even colder: "So, if the story ceases to exist, does that mean that little world within the story also ceases to exist?"

"Not quite, but... how should I put it?" Zeus tapped his forehead with his knuckles, giving others the impression of being pretentious. "In terms you can understand, it should be called a reboot; the world lines will be reset, the timeline will revert to the starting point where all the changes occurred, and the story will unfold anew according to the original plot."

"The starting point of all changes..." Edroy's gaze also fell on the center of the gambling table, on the projection of Shen Hou's face.

"You guessed it, it's the moment before he entered the Harry Potter world, the moment before he rolled out of the fireplace in the Hog's Head." Zeus's smile deepened, his tone tinged with smugness. "He will be 'driven' out of the timeline, and the story will return to its original plot, as if he had never existed."

On the other side, Edroy's expression gradually softened. He had probably guessed what the other person was thinking and urged, "Just say what's on your mind. Don't hold it in."

"It's simple. If he's driven out of the story world, doesn't that mean he can't integrate into that world, and he won't have the opportunity to understand the underlying logic of the world? Doesn't that mean... you've lost the bet?"

"Timeline rewinding, isn't that going back to the starting point and starting all over again?"

"Our agreement clearly states that we will send him on a journey through the Harry Potter world to complete the bet; 'a journey'—only once."

"When we set a deadline, we set a timeframe, not a number of times."

Each held their own ground, and Edroi was clearly not going to easily agree with the other's point of view. Zeus, however, did not intend to continue arguing with him, but instead turned his gaze to the referee of the game—the figure in that dazzling light.

"What is your opinion, Jehovah?" Zeus asked. "Can we still keep the agreement of the wager?"

The figure in the light was undoubtedly the supreme god with the widest following in human history.

Jehovah did not speak, but the figure in the light turned his head toward the cowboy, his silence carrying a profound meaning.

After a long period of contemplation, Adloy slowly spoke: "One round, only one round; in our bet, the outcome of the first round will only determine the ownership of half the chips."

Jehovah, upon hearing this, also remained silent, but instead turned his head toward Zeus.

"Agreed!" Zeus nodded in agreement without much hesitation.

Jehovah withdrew his gaze, and his voice emanated from the light: "The agreement is reached. If the storyline restarts and the timeline rewinds, it will be considered the end of the first round, and Mount Olympus and its allies will win half the chips."